Talking Strategy: D.C. United vs Colorado Rapids

After a two-game skid, D.C. United is poised to bounce back. The Black-and-Red has been resilient all year, dealing with injuries, rallying as a team after loses and playing as a one. This Sunday, that’s the game-plan.

“At the beginning of the year, we won games because we looked out for each other and worked hard for each other,” D.C. United defender Sean Franklin said. “We have to get back to that. It’s all about staying together as a team.”

Responding with a win is something Captain Bobby Boswell believes his squad is more than capable of.

“I think we’ve responded pretty well with our backs against the wall, and we feel like this is one of those moments,” Boswell said. “We went on the road to two tough teams and tough places to get results. We’re here to get back and get back to winning.”

Since the loss at Real Salt Lake, training has been geared toward Sunday’s match. With playoffs just around the corner, DCU knows it must focus on one game at time, taking care of points at home.

“[Training] has been pretty tough,” Boswell said. “As tough as you’d expect after a loss. Obviously we realize that the bulk of our schedule is coming up, so we have to go out take care of our home field advantage more than anything, and that starts on Sunday.”

“We had a meeting when we got back from Salt Lake, and we have to grind it out now,” said Franklin. “I think we have 12 games left in the season, and we know we’re this close to being in the playoffs and in the race for Supporters Shield, so training’s been good. It’s been intense, trying to get that bite back for this weekend.”

But first, United had to figure out what went wrong and fix it for Sunday. While, through a 34 game season, some games simply slip away, Boswell pin-pointed physicality as the key for this Sunday.

“I think physically, we need to show up a little better,” he said. “The soccer needs to be better in terms of passing and connecting with each other. The effort has to be there. That’s what I mean when I say physicality. I don’t mean necessarily foul count or anything like that, but we need to go out there from the get-go and set the tone; let them know they’re going to be in for a tough night.”